Miscellaneous newbie questions

[hank scorpio]

Hey--

I've been working is AS Pro 11 for a few weeks now and am running into some walls. Hopefully you can offer some help:

- How do I change the registration points of a layer? I see the Set Origin tool, but I must be using it wrong. I activate the tool, click in the layer where I want my origin to be, but it doesn't change.

- Is it possible to create a vector with a hole in it? Specifically, I'm looking at building eyes. One layer with the outlined shape, the pupil/iris layer and a white background. I need the top layer of the outlined shape to have the hole. How do other people create the eyes?

- Can I access the bezier point handles? The Curvature tool is just not cutting it. In fact, I'm very frustrated with all the drawing tools and abandoned them early on and import my art from Illustrator.

- Why does the Grid keep changing when I select different layers?

- Are there guides to work with the Grid?

- Are there any plans to allow users to customize the UI and keyboard shortcuts?

- Is there a way to export a layer as a vector?

Sorry for all the questions. I really enjoy Anime Studio and hope I don't sound like I'm complaining!

[exile]

Hey--

I've been working is AS Pro 11 for a few weeks now and am running into some walls. Hopefully you can offer some help:

- How do I change the registration points of a layer? I see the Set Origin tool, but I must be using it wrong. I activate the tool, click in the layer where I want my origin to be, but it doesn't change.

- Is it possible to create a vector with a hole in it? Specifically, I'm looking at building eyes. One layer with the outlined shape, the pupil/iris layer and a white background. I need the top layer of the outlined shape to have the hole. How do other people create the eyes?

The layer has to be selected for Set Origin to work, I think. Then you should be able to change the point (once the tool is selected) by a left click. The easiest way to create a vector with a hole is to turn off the Fill dialogue until you've drawn the inner and outer shape. Then AS should recognize it automatically and only fill the outer shape. There's more about this in the manual and the tutorials that come with the program.

AS does not have bezier points. It's funny, I started with the AS drawing tools and am now trying to learn to work with bezier points in Gimp. I find the AS system easier to work with, so I think it's just a question of what you're used to. You can trace exactly in AS, but many people who are versatile in AI create their more intricate artwork in that program.

[DrawMonkey]

Hey--

I've been working is AS Pro 11 for a few weeks now and am running into some walls. Hopefully you can offer some help:

- How do I change the registration points of a layer? I see the Set Origin tool, but I must be using it wrong. I activate the tool, click in the layer where I want my origin to be, but it doesn't change.

- Is it possible to create a vector with a hole in it? Specifically, I'm looking at building eyes. One layer with the outlined shape, the pupil/iris layer and a white background. I need the top layer of the outlined shape to have the hole. How do other people create the eyes?

- Can I access the bezier point handles? The Curvature tool is just not cutting it. In fact, I'm very frustrated with all the drawing tools and abandoned them early on and import my art from Illustrator.

- Why does the Grid keep changing when I select different layers?

- Are there guides to work with the Grid?

- Are there any plans to allow users to customize the UI and keyboard shortcuts?

- Is there a way to export a layer as a vector?

Sorry for all the questions. I really enjoy Anime Studio and hope I don't sound like I'm complaining!

I'm new at this too so don't take my answers as gospel but here's what I found.

The SET ORIGIN tool only changes the main origin point if you're trying to set it for any single layer in your build. And it looks like it's as easy as left clicking with the tool on and dragging the cross that pops up to where you want it.

Even the manual version of creating pieces with holes didn't work for me but this tutorial has a great way of setting eyes up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgJzZV1nty8

I miss handles too but I'm getting used to the Anime way or manipulating lines by just adding points to tweak the shape. Just move those points around.

And I don't know the rest yet.

Hope this helps.

[DrawMonkey]

May have been wrong on the whole SET ORIGIN tool only working on the root level.

[hank scorpio]

Thank you very much for the replies!

I'm at my day job now so I can't check the results, but I've tried the Origin tool in a few different ways to no effect. The manual isn't very specific about how it needs to work, but it makes perfect sense to select the layer I wish to change and use the tool. Still, nothing.

I also understand drawing in AS is a different paradigm and it may just take me a while to adapt. It's just that all the other pen tools I've used in other apps allow me to grab the handles so I'm not sure why this needs to be different. Again, not complaining, just trying to understand.

Thanks again for the replies. If anyone else can chime in on my other questions, I'd very much appreciate it. The changing Grid is especially curious to me.

[slowtiger]

The grid is always set to the current layer. If the layer is scaled or rotated, so will be the grid.

I agree this is confusing, especially when you need one reference grid for all layers. For these cases I built a vector grid myself which I import if needed.

Shapes with holes are covered in the manual. Just remember to draw without fills or strokes.

Vector export is only possible in SWF format. Flash can read this, and from there it's possible to export as EPS. But it's a cumbersome way to do so, you need Flash, and lots of AS' features are lost in that process anyway because SWF doesn't support them.

[hank scorpio]

Thanks, slowtiger. Good info.

Any reasons why a grid would be layer specific and not document specific? I like your idea of creating one to do what I need, though. That would work for guides as well.

Export limits are a bummer, but workable since I'm mostly creating my work in Illustrator and CorelDraw.

I'll have to find that in the manual about holes, but I recall turning off auto-fill. Is this preferred method for working with eyes?

[slowtiger]

It's one of several possible solutions. You should try different ones and see which one fits your style best.